About the book:

Jinx is a Dire wolf without a pack. Kicked out of the house by his king, and living with a vampire named Jez, Jinx has been trying to undo the damage he unintentionally caused during the reign of the Dire ghost army, which unleashed some of Purgatory’s worst monsters on the world at large. But when he hears that an unshifted Were is being held in a psychiatric hospital, he immediately drops everything to help her.

Gillian Black has no idea what’s happening to her—and Jinx discovers that she’s not just any Were, but a Dire wolf from the original Greenland pack. He helps her escape and promises to keep her safe from the men—and the wolves—who are hunting her and to teach her everything about being a wolf.

He must also fight his feelings, wanting to claim her as his mate…at least until after he defeats the supernatural enemies that threaten all of them.

What I’m talking about:

Gillian Black has been institutionalized for much of her teen years. Never knowing what was wrong, only that she didn’t fit, she yearns to run free, naked in the woods. When Dire wolf Jinx and vampire Jez investigate monster sightings at the institution, they discover Gillian and realize that she is a Dire wolf on the verge of shifting for the very first time.

Almost feral in nature, Gillian sees Jinx as an opportunity to escape, but doesn’t trust that he’ll keep her safe. The pair make it out of the hospital and to the Dire mansion, where the rest of the Dire clan welcome Gillian. However, she only feels comfortable with Jinx, so when he leaves, she escapes and follows him.

The third book of the Eternal Wolf Clanseries starts at a fast pace and doesn’t slow down for quite a while. Not only do we learn about Gillian, but the story attempts to bring the reader up to speed with all of the happenings since the last book. One thing about this series is that there are always a few side stories that are featured almost as prominently as the “main storyline.” While I mostly enjoy this, sometimes it makes reading the story difficult to follow. For example, the first few chapters were choppy and the dialogue sometimes too vague, and if I didn’t know the background it would have been tough to follow. But a recap was laid out and everything “big” from the previous two books was mentioned, so newcomers to the series could probably pick up Dire Desires without having read the first two books.

Even with the few difficulties I experienced reading the opening chapters, the storyline was pretty engrossing, and I really enjoyed the book overall. And after the first six or seven chapters, that roughness seemed to disappear, and the story flowed more smoothly.

I adored Gillian and Jinx. The fact that she is a full-blooded Dire (the first female one in the stories thus far) added dimension to her character and allowed the author to create a wonderful match between Gillian and Jinx. She was his equal (or better) physically, and her innocence and naivety never were the cause for Gillian to make poor decisions. The pair were sweet and romantic, but also hot and sexy.

The fact that Gillian was institutionalized for so long and that her parents are willing to pay an exorbitant ransom for her return when they have been so blatantly ignoring her creates quite the mystery. Trying to discover Gillian’s past and following her as she tries to remain free creates some suspense and a lot of excitement. The storyline was very entertaining.

As I mentioned earlier, there are other side storylines that are featured in Dire Desires. While it created some confusion for me at first, I enjoyed all of them. I won’t take the time to go into each, but I want to mention a couple that I discussed in my reviews of the earlier books. First, there is quiet a bit on the weres, and Liam’s quest to fulfill is place as king and reunited his packs. Together with the twins Cyd and Cain (who were trained by the Dires), the trio mature and make significant headway on their quest. Second, ex-FBI agent Angus Black is back in town, changed from his experiences detailed in the past two books. I am really happy with the direction his character is heading, and I enjoyed every moment he was featured on the pages. Well, there is one exception that comes at the very end of the book. Let’s just say I am EXTREMELY unhappy with the turn of events because Angus is left in a bit of a cliffhanger situation; however, I’m willing to overlook it for now, depending on the outcome in the next story. Even with that, both of these side stories add significant depth and interest to the book overall.

The conclusion of Gillian’s storyline was satisfactory, although a bit easy when it comes to her parents, but overall very enjoyable. As I mentioned above, some of the side stories are left open-ended, and there was an epilogue that I believe sets up the next book.

Overall I enjoyed Dire Desires, and it’s my favorite of the series thus far. Gillian and Jinx make a great pair. I liked the conflict caused by Gillian’s parents and her perceived mental illness. I loved Cain and Angus, and I liked the heroic nature of vampire Jez. One great thing about the book is that much of the previous open-ended nature of the series was brought forth and either concluded, or there was significant progress made in a positive direction. Although I was not happy with what happened to Angus at the end of the book, overall Dire Desires is a wonderful read.

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Happy Reading!

Jen Twimom

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